You’re Causing Chaos Again

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Shen Yanming’s statement had quite an impact on He Changkong. Shen Yanming wanted to take him home? To meet his parents? Had Shen Yanming already told his family about their relationship, or was this purely a friendly visit?

Not to mention meeting the parents in the traditional sense, even a simple visit to someone else’s home as a guest was a rare experience for He Changkong.

A string of questions popped into He Changkong’s mind, but when he finally spoke, he said something completely off-topic, “Well, it’s fine… it might be easier to focus with parents supervising.”

Shen Yanming blinked, “?”

Shen Yanming held He Changkong in place, carefully cupping his face in his hands, and after a while, he came to a conclusion, “Are you nervous? Is that why you’re saying something so absurd?”

He Changkong didn’t deny it. “…A bit.”

After Shen Yanming had his fill of inspecting He Changkong’s face, he let go and continued to bounce toward their living quarters, “No need to be nervous; my parents are very easygoing.”

He Changkong followed behind Shen Yanming, adjusted his scarf, and asked, “Have you told uncle and aunt?”

“Told them what? That I’m bringing you home? Or…” Shen Yanming paused and added, “About us? I haven’t told them anything yet.”

He Changkong hesitated to speak, and Shen Yanming knew what he was worried about. Actually, Shen Yanming had been concerned as well. Even though he felt lucky when it came to his parents, who were open-minded, the matter of a son having a same-sex relationship was not trivial in the eyes of most elders.

So, Shen Yanming had subtly tested the waters. He called home every week, and one time, when there were rumors about other players in their circle getting into scandalous relationships with fans, his mom had given him a stern lecture. She told him to maintain a certain distance from fans unless he was sure about being in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. She stressed that he shouldn’t fool around casually, even if he was in a relationship, and should not let the girl suffer any loss.

At that moment, Shen Yanming jokingly said to Lin Qingyue, “What if I’m in a romantic relationship with a guy?”

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He had expected Lin Qingyue to say something like, “Then we’ll kick you out with a broom.” Instead, Lin Qingyue had replied, “You still shouldn’t fool around.”

Shen Yanming asked, “What if I’m really in a romantic relationship with a guy?”

Lin Qingyue was genuinely taken aback, “…are you in a romantic relationship with a guy?”

Shen Yanming hurriedly denied, “No, no, I was just asking.”

It took quite some time for that offhand question to receive an answer. Shen Yanming almost thought the call had been disconnected, if not for hearing background noise on the line.

“You’re a fool,” Lin Qingyue sighed “Fall in love with whoever you want to fall in love with. It’s not like I’m the one in the relationship.”

Shen Yanming: “…”

Lin Qingyue added, “As long as you have good character.”

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Just as Shen Yanming was feeling touched and teary-eyed, Lin Qingyue came up with another remark, “Honestly, do you have such inclinations? Is that why you randomly asked me this? I knew it; no girl would like you. Girls all like domineering CEOs, and you’re like a living loudspeaker. When girls see you, they probably just want to roll their eyes.”

Shen Yanming’s momentary sense of being moved disappeared without a trace, “Hehe, goodnight.”

To avoid the possibility that Lin Qingyue was merely playing along with his joking, Shen Yanming had asked similar questions several more times within their family’s group chat. After saying it several times, his parents got annoyed. His mom sent him a voice message, “Got it, got it, you’re really annoying! Bring him over for dinner when you’re free. Stop pretending to ask this and that all the time. Are your dad and I antiques?!”

Shen Yanming: “quq!”

However, at that time, there were many things going on, and Shen Yanming hadn’t found the right time to discuss this with He Changkong. Also, because he hadn’t discussed it with He Changkong yet, Shen Yanming hadn’t given his family specific details about their relationship.

Seeing He Changkong looking uncharacteristically tense, Shen Yanming initially wanted to say, “Don’t worry,” but as the words were about to leave his lips, he mischievously pretended to be pitiful and said, “What if my parents beat me up and kick me out of the house? Will you elope with me?”

However, as an actor, Shen Yanming’s acting skills were not that great. When he said these words, he didn’t look nervous at all; instead, he was grinning.

Seeing that Shen Yanming was still in a playful mood, He Changkong got a sense of what was happening. Even though he was still a bit nervous about meeting Shen Yanming’s parents, he played along with Shen Yanming’s act and said, “Hmm, elope. Then I’ll support us by playing games.”

Shen Yanming seemed to be thinking about it seriously, “Then, I’ll be responsible for getting you clients. I’ll distribute flyers outside the village internet caféI’ll advertise: ‘The Throne’s Top Milk Provider is Now Offering Substitute Milk Services! Even if you don’t need milk, it’s not a problem. Our milk provider is a master of all professions, capable of any operation, and skilled in any position… We’ll give you a rocket-like experience, you’ll rank up eight tiers in a day! We’re an honest little shop, no cheating, and during the grand opening, we offer an 80% discount…”

He Changkong covered Shen Yanming’s mouth. “…You better focus on today’s study tasks.”

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A few days later.

Upon arriving at Nancheng Airport, the first thing everyone did after getting off the plane was to take off their thick coats. The region had no winter throughout the year, except for a few days when cold air came in. Even at the end of December, you could stroll around the streets wearing just a slightly thick sweater.

Shen Yanming took He Changkong, separated from the rest of the team, and took a taxi in the direction of his home.

Originally, Lin Qingyue wanted the other players to come to her house as well, but Shen Yanming refused, saying that they shouldn’t get too crazy before the competition, and that they could discuss it after the tournament.

Lin Qingyue didn’t understand why just having a meal at home would make them go crazy, but since Shen Yanming said they should wait until after the competition, she didn’t object.

However, she didn’t expect Shen Yanming to insist on bringing his teammate, Kong ge, over.

She knew about He Changkong. Shen Yanming’s room was plastered with several solo posters of him.

While Lin Qingyue was cooking in the kitchen, she raised her voice to call Shen Zhu over.

Shen Zhu thought he was being asked to help, so he came in and looked for something to do. Lin Qingyue, however, said with disdain, “Don’t mess around… I think that teammate Ah Yan wants to bring back is probably his boyfriend.”

Shen Zhu paused for a moment. “It’s possible.”

They both sighed at the same time.

Shen Zhu then asked, “Can’t it be changed?”

“I’ve researched a lot, and they all say it’s innate. How can it be changed?” Lin Qingyue said while picking vegetables. “Don’t say this in front of my son later. If you really can’t stand it, make an excuse like you have to work overtime and leave quickly. Kids with a less common orientation like this are probably always on edge. Don’t make him feel uncomfortable by our attitude later.”

“I’ll do it,” Shen Zhu took what Lin Qingyue had in her hands. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just think it’s not necessary. It’s quite difficult to go down this path. Wouldn’t it be better if he could like girls and avoid some trouble?”

Lin Qingyue sighed, “Well…”

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In fact, when Shen Yanming first asked that question, Lin Qingyue panicked. She certainly knew that Shen Yanming often spoke whimsically, but he wouldn’t ask such a bizarre question without a reason. She calmly answered his question, but then went to her husband crying, saying, “What should we do? It seems like our son likes boys.”

“Let’s just wait and see,” Lin Qingyue said, “If he’s a good kid, having another son isn’t a bad thing.”

They didn’t chat much more because soon the sound of the door opening rang out.

Lin Qingyue, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, immediately put on a happy face and walked towards the entrance.

Shen Yanming took off his shoes at the door, “Mom.”

He Changkong greeted somewhat stiffly, “Auntie, hello.”

Shen Yanming changed into slippers, stood in place, and subtly nudged He Changkong with his elbow.

He Changkong realized and handed the two bags he was carrying to Lin Qingyue. “This is for you… and this is for Uncle.”

For Shen Zhu, he brought two bottles of wine that he had bought on the way. For Lin Qingyue, he brought a set of signed discs from the talent show idol she had been following, and they were even personally signed. He Changkong had initially thought about giving something more conventional, but Shen Yanming told him that Lin Qingyue liked these quirky things, and if she received a signature from a small celebrity, she would be ecstatic.

Sure enough, Lin Qingyue’s face lit up, “You came, and you even brought gifts…”

Shen Yanming draped his arm over Lin Qingyue’s shoulder. “Star chasing success, Mrs. Lin?”

Lin Qingyue replied, “How can I compare to you?”

Shen Yanming asked in confusion, “Huh?”

Lin Qingyue glanced at He Changkong, “You call him Kong, right?”

He Changkong hesitated, realizing he had forgotten to introduce himself when they greeted each other earlier, which seemed a bit impolite.

Just as he was thinking about how to remedy it, Lin Qingyue continued, “Shen Yanming is the one who has succeeded in star chasing. You have no idea that his room is filled with your posters. He used to watch your videos every day, skipped classes to watch your games, and even said he wanted to become a player like you…”

“Stop saying it!!!” Shen Yanming angrily interrupted, “It’s not that exaggerated!!!”

He Changkong froze again. Was that praise or criticism? Why did it sound like she was complaining that he was like a sly old fox?1sly old fox: used to describe someone who is cunning, clever, and often devious in their actions or intentions.

Author’s Message:

Kong: Heh, no wonder they say mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships are hard to handle…

Mom: I just wanted to make a little joke to liven up the atmosphere. Why does this child look even more terrified???

Thank you for reading! 

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1sly old fox: used to describe someone who is cunning, clever, and often devious in their actions or intentions.